River rises to 100-year high in Dresden

Associated Press

Published Friday, August 16, 2002

DRESDEN, Germany -- Floodwaters in Dresden rose to their highest level in more than a century Thursday, threatening the Baroque city's famed opera and art collections as east Germany became the focus of flooding that has killed at least 100 people across Europe.

A levee broke about 80 miles to the northwest near a huge chemical industry complex at Bitterfeld, prompting officials to order the evacuation of the town of 16,000. But authorities later revoked the order after the Mulde River began receding.

In Dresden, the Elbe topped the 261/2-foot mark for the first time in more than 100 years, Mayor Ingolf Rossberg said. It was expected to rise another foot, close to the 29-foot level reached in 1845.